


amazements lie in the dark seed of the earth

by thespottedowl



Series: BBS drabbles [7]
Category: Banana Bus Squad
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Wings, Bideo Bames, Conventions, M/M, Soft Boys, not beta read we die like men, not much to tag here I'll be honest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:36:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23209387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thespottedowl/pseuds/thespottedowl
Summary: PAX rolls around again, and in sharing a room with Evan, Anthony thinks he might be able to figure out what he's been hiding.[part one of the 'vanoss has wings so that's p cool' series]
Relationships: Anthony | BigJigglyPanda/Evan Fong
Series: BBS drabbles [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/748089
Comments: 6
Kudos: 31





	amazements lie in the dark seed of the earth

**Author's Note:**

> okay we just gonna pretend it’s 2014 and these boys still share rooms at pax bc if they don’t get to be affectionate my heart will explode
> 
> there’s also some cheesy ooc dialogue but listen anthony is enraptured
> 
> title from the kitten by mary oliver

Okay, what the actual fuck.

Listen, Anthony’s tired. He’s had an ungodly amount of caffeine and alcohol the past few days, plus a couple of uppers and downers that are questionably legal at best. It’s a con, and nobody’s ever at their best health during those. Not even moderate health.

He’s stayed sober enough that his eyes haven’t crossed yet, at least. He’s doing better than Scotty.

But if his head’s this fucked up, he needs to go to the hospital or something, because he left the party early to slip back into his shared hotel room, and he could have sworn that, for just a second, before Evan could tug the shirt down over his head and turn in surprise, that the man had something large and feathery sprouting from his back.

It’s an absurd thought, and Anthony tries to shake it off as he apologises to Evan for the flustered smile that crosses his face. He gathers his things and moves quietly, heavily into the hotel bathroom. He catches his own gaze in the bathroom mirror and it takes him a long second to tuck away the feeling that there’s something Ev’s hiding.

When he steps out of the bathroom, leaving the light on for Tyler to stumble back in later, Evan’s curled up under the covers with only his hair sticking out. Jiggly tries not to stare at the back of his head.

—

It’s barely a thought in his mind the next too-early morning, ranking far, far below getting his hands around a hot cup of coffee. Evan reminds him, briefly and unintentionally, as he rouses himself and puts on his game face. Anthony watches him slowly piece the puzzle back together, settle his shoulders back and low, keeping his sweatshirt away from the small of his back. Evan always sits up straight, back away from the chair, head ducked.

Anthony observes quietly, from the corner of his eye three seats down. Evan covers his face when he smiles, and it baffles Anthony.

—

Anthony would never give up convention season for the world. Even if he feels like dog shit dragging his body around for eighteen hours, there is a world-shattering fullness in his heart that bubbles and sparks every time he can grab one of his friends to get their attention, or someone approaches him to ask for an autograph, or someone at a booth yells. Or or or. Anthony revels in it. His cheeks hurt from smiling.

His friends handle it with a familiar negligence of grace, flying down aisles when they feel like it, screaming over vendors’ borrowed consoles. Anthony’s chest hurts, and it boils into his throat and he almost can’t breathe with how much he loves.

Evan notices, which isn’t particularly odd. He’s the only other one standing off to the side, smile crooking in the corner of his mouth as they watch Tyler bite his tongue as he concentrates on whatever game is in beta right now. Soccer game chaperones, standing on the sidelines.

He looks Anthony over, shuffles one step closer and nudges Anthony with his shoulder. He doesn’t say anything, and Jiggly doesn’t move away. It’s easy to stand there, shoulders touching, watching, amused, at how far Scott can lean over a controller.

It sits like a brand on Anthony’s shoulder, the place where he could feel Evan’s heat, shifting as each of their shoulders jumped in laughter.

It clings to him like smoke as they drift along to the next booth.

—

It’s easier to breathe as they fall into step with each other, dialogue flowing easy over dinner. The fancy dinner is tomorrow night, and right now they eat greasy diner food standing up, laughing at each other as they juggle massive burgers and shakes and fries on a cold, narrow Boston street. They sit, crouched over with knees tucked up to their chests, and eat over the gutter.

It’s enough for them, and Anthony can see in their eyes that every one of them is working to swallow the same fullness he is.

—

Evan leads the way back to the hotel, feet low and dragging, and Anthony drops back a few steps. There’s others behind him, trailing like lost ducklings, the ones who didn’t need the afterparty and just wanted a warm bed in their own rooms. Anthony would check on them, but his nose and ears are both burning in the cold, and he was too busy yanking at his scarf to turn around.

He almost trickles into the elevator behind Evan, reaches out a hand absentmindedly to catch his lower back so they won’t run into each other.

The second Anthony’s fingers make contact, the fabric soft and almost worryingly yielding, Evan jumps about a foot in the air. He apologises almost immediately — “-scared me bad, man!” — but he’s also crowding himself into the farthest corner of the elevator, back in the corner and hand crossed over his chest. Anthony realises belatedly that both of his hands are out, almost a peace-keeping gesture. _I mean you no harm._

He’s apologising right back to Evan, aiming for reassuring, when the elevator announces their floor. They both fall silent, and slowly Jiggly turns and gets off.

Evan's even quieter than usual in the room, won’t even look at Anthony until they’re both standing between the two beds, Jiggly watching him carefully and Evan staring at the floor like it’s personally wronged him. He’s playing with the hem of his shirt, and Anthony wants so bad to reach out and smooth the crease entrenching itself between his eyebrows.

“Will you show me?” The words are spoken quietly, but Anthony feels like he’s let off a gun in the tiny hotel room. Evan flinches, a grimace more than anything, and his eyes meet Anthony’s for the smallest millisecond before he’s tugging the cotton up over his head.

Anthony rocks forward from where he’s leaning on the bed, and Evan’s jaw clenches hard as he pulls his t-shirt off.

Jiggly’s kind of surprised his jaw doesn’t fall off immediately. Listen, first of all, Evan’s shaped like Adonis himself. Anthony of all people knows how hard he must work for it.

But behind him… two enormous tawny wings unfold from where they were held tight to Evan’s back. Anthony shifts entirely off the bed, reaches almost unconsciously out to touch before he sees the tips of the wings flex.

“Can I touch you?” Anthony asks. His voice is hushed, like he’s approaching something precious. He thinks this is how the fair maidens in fairytales must feel about unicorns.

Evan nods, slowly, rolling his head towards Anthony. He’s staring at the opposite wall, almost gritting his teeth, and Anthony pulls away, even having been given the yes from Ev. “Have you ever done this before?” The innudeno is not lost on Anthony, but he thinks that perhaps not might not be the best time.

Evan shakes his head, eyes cutting to Anthony, who is trying diligently to keep his eyes on Evan’s face for any length of time. “No one who didn’t already know. Only my family.”

“Well, I’m sorry to be breaking up the secret club, but holy shit, Ev. What the fuck. What the fuck is going on.” He’s shaking a little, but the awed grin slashed across his face speaks the truth. "Evan, you have wings. What the fuck is going on today?”

Evan is starting to smile the tiniest bit, the side of his mouth ticking up. His wings ruffle, too, joints pulling up a little bit. Jiggly watches him move, giggling in shock. Evan moves fluidly, wings adjusting to cut through the air. He spreads them out, feathers fluffing to curl towards Anthony before they settle back down, flat against the wing.

Anthony is sure he’s got a madman’s grin pasted onto his face. “Can I actually touch them? Like, feel free to tell me no, but holy shit, Evan.”

Evan nods, laughs quietly under his breath. His wings flex, move a little closer to Jiggly. “Just be gentle, they’re sensitive. Don’t pull on any feathers, stroke in the directions the feathers grow.” This time he doesn’t seem interested in watching the wall behind them, instead tracking Anthony’s movements with quick, sharp eyes.

Anthony moves slowly, then, lays his hand carefully on the inside of the wing closest to him. He hears Evan hum as he touches him, but he barely registers it, petting gently through the downy inner feathers to the long primaries. It’s nothing like petting a dog; the feathers mesh together to create something rich and satiny under his fingers. He digs his fingernails in on the next pass down, and his fingers sink into feathers, burying his hands halfway to his second knuckle. Evan breathes out a laugh, but he shivers, feathers fluffing violently around Anthony's hand before they smooth out.

He glances at Evan, and the man is watching his face inquisitively. As if in a trance, Anthony reaches out and cups his jaw. His fingers curl loosely into the hair at the back of his neck, thumb stroking the hinge of his jaw. Evan looks surprised, but not uncomfortable, and he almost sinks into Anthony’s hand as he steps forward, watching Evan’s wings relax until they almost brush the floor.

Evan’s still watching him with curious eyes, lids low and heavy as Anthony steps into his space. They’re the same height, and Evan doesn’t stop his eyes from trailing across Anthony’s lips before he reaches the man’s eyes.

“God, you are just... incredible,” Anthony tells him, and watches him sink happily into his hands, almost nuzzling into the curve of Anthony’s wrist. “I mean, really, have you fuckin' seen yourself? I'm always surprised that you’re real. Especially now,” he adds, trailing a light hand down the edge of Evan’s wing. It sends a shock down Evan’s spine, and he shivers in Anthony’s hold, strangled whimper catching hard in his throat.

“Don’t think I don’t want to explore that later,” Anthony says, and Evan can picture the hungry, amused look on his face. “We’ll talk later, too, about the important things. But that’s plenty enough for now,” he says, steering Evan loosely back towards his bed.

It’s easy enough, and plenty comfortable enough, for Anthony to lay back and Evan to curl around him, one leg over his, arm around his waist, and head buried in his chest. His wings settle across both of them, open over the middle of the bed. Anthony shifts to curl his trapped arm around Evan, hand settling gently just between where each wing sprouted. As he drifts into sleep, Jiggly scrolling lazily through his phone, it's hard to keep himself from petting gently up the base of each wing. The feathers are darker here, verging on chestnut, and as Jiggly caresses each one gently, they curl around the pair, settle into a soft V shape as Evan falls asleep.

Carefully, so as not to disrupt the sleeping Vanoss, Jiggly eases the covers over the both of them. Evan deserves a night where his wings get to stay out.

Tyler limps into the room almost three hours later, grumbling about the light that Anthony had left on. “Where’s Ev?” Tyler asks, yawning through it as he shoves loose clothes into his suitcase. Jiggly points down, reluctant, to the very top of Evan’s head, just visible over the cloud-like blankets.

Tyler’s eyes flicker over Evan, burrowing lazily into Anthony’s collarbones. He’d roused the slightest at his name, but once he had blinked slowly at Tyler, he just nuzzled back under Anthony’s chin, breath slow and even. Anthony adored him. Evan had made up his mind that Anthony was his, fast and decisive as the owl, and who was Jiggly to fight such a claim?

He tucked his chin back into Evan’s soft hair and fell asleep gently.


End file.
